In Dreams
by joonandjessshow
Summary: They always managed to find comfort from one another in dreams. A series of one shots. SiriusOC
1. Rock A Bye

_Title: In Dreams_

_Author: Jess_

_Pairing: Sirius/OC (Friendship mainly)_

_Rating: Mostly PG-T...Rating may go up for coarse language!_

_Summary: They always managed to seek comfort from one another in dreams. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling and her associated peoples. I do, however, own Lucy and other non-Potterverse characters. Yay!_

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_Rock-a-Bye_

Number Twelve Grimmauld Place always had a despairingly grim atmosphere for as long as the generations of the Black family had inhabited it. Not even the Christmas atmosphere could awaken any sort of warmth in the environment. It had been a Christmas shortly after the birth of the second Black son when the annual Black family Christmas party had once again been held at Grimmauld Place. Wizards of noble blood flocked to this esteemed party and it was quite hard to garner an invitation to this soiree. For many in the magical community, the Black Christmas party was simply a reunion for purebloods that had been in the Slytherin House at Hogwarts. The eldest Black son was nearing his sixth birthday and would much rather had been playing in his room than stuffed into a room with a bunch of adults discussing the latest rumors of dark activity surfacing around the country headed by some Lord Whats-His-Name. To the young Sirius Black, it sounded like a stupid story character that didn't have any friends. Small fists were stuffed into the pockets of the expensive robes he was wearing, a sour expression apparent on the handsome features of the young boy.

"Sirius- come over here, would you?" His mother called over, obviously recollecting that her oldest son was still at the party. She had been showing around his younger brother, Regulus, to the family the entire night being that it was the first time all the Black family and their extended family had gathered since before Regulus' birth two years ago. She turned back to the tall man she was talking to before she called Sirius over. "Yes, he's just about her age I think- Oh, Sirius, here you are. Sirius, this is Mr. Smith, he works with your father at the Ministry." The man nodded in recognition, his features harsh. Sirius decided that he didn't really trust him. "And this is his daughter, Lucy. Why don't you take her upstairs and show her your toys?"

Sirius noticed the girl that had been standing by the man. She was a little shorter than he was and he noticed she looked just as bored as he had been the entire night. Maybe she wouldn't be so bad- even though she was a girl. Sirius nodded and waited for her to follow him out of the room. As they trudged up the stairs, past the decapitated house elves, he heard the door to the parlor and dining room close with a snap. The adults probably just wanted them out of there seeing as they were the only two children underage left at the house. His cousins had weaseled their way out hours ago claiming that they were tired from the train ride back.

"Your house is creepy," a voice said from behind him as they reached the landing of the floor that his room was on.

"You probably have cooties," he retorted, glancing back at her as he opened the door to his room. "Girls have cooties. 'Cept for Andromeda, she told me so."

"I do not have cooties!" Lucy cried indignantly. In retaliation, she pushed him and in return he pulled her hair.

Glaring, Lucy walked to the other side of his room, away from him. A few minutes passed and it became dull staring at the wall. Sirius watched her as she began looking around his room. If she took any of his stuff, he was going to hit her. He didn't care if she was a girl. She walked over to his wall where he had a few Quidditch posters hung there. "You like Quidditch too?" The girl asked excitedly, forgetting the scuffle they had gotten into a few minutes before, a smile coming onto her face for the first time that night- the first night in a while. "My mum used to let me stay up late to listen to the games even if my dad said no. I love Quidditch."

"Used to? She won't let you anymore?" Sirius asked, brow furrowing. He liked Quidditch pretty well. His parents didn't really seemed to bothered by it. For the second time that night, Sirius got to thinking that this girl wouldn't be so bad. Quidditch was a sport- a boy thing and she was a girl who liked a boy thing.

"She died a few weeks ago. Daddy says it was an accident," Lucy shrugged, the smile leaving her face. She sat down on his bed. He sat down on the other side of his bed, careful not to touch her and hoping he would not be able to catch cooties. He asked, "How did she die?"

They talked for a while longer and the hour grew late. The adults downstairs barely noticed the time. Late past midnight, Caldon Smith climbed the stairs with Mrs. Black to take his daughter home. When they opened the door to Sirius' room, they found the two children asleep on the bed, facing each other as if they had fallen asleep in the middle of a conversation. They closed the door again, deciding not to disturb their sleep. Mrs. Black knowing well that if Sirius were to be woken up, he would not be able to go to sleep for another few hours and Caldon Smith relatively greatful that his daughter was actually sleeping through the night- something that had not happened since the "accidental" death of his wife weeks prior.

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	2. Sleep Tight

_Sleep Tight_

The Hogwarts letters had arrived weeks earlier. A tawny owl was waiting on the breakfast table when she awoke one morning in June- the morning of her eleventh birthday. Her father had entered the room, seeing her read the letter. He casually remarked over the breakfast the house elf prepared that she should not even bother to be worried about the sorting, she would be in Slytherin like her father. He had thought he had been able to squash her mother's Ravenclaw spirit out of her. Caldon Smith had even tried to cement this by forging a friendship with the Blacks- a notable family of the Slytherin tradition. Her and the oldest Black son had become friends and if they played their cards right, perhaps the two pureblood families could form a stronger alliance in the future through the marriage of their offspring. The two families often invited the other over, the adults usually talking about hushed topics until late in the night while the children drifted off to sleep upstairs. It was probably the last night that Lucy Smith would spend at Number Twelve before the start of school.

Despite having spent numerous nights in this particular house since that winter nearly six years ago, the house still was creepy to her. The house elf heads were still lining the staircase in the hallway and dark objects were in some rooms that the children were not allowed to go into (though they usually did). It was past midnight, from what Lucy gathered as she lay between laundered sheets in the guest room that she usually slept in when she visited. However, the daunting atmosphere of the house was only amplified that night as a thunderstorm shook the house and lightning flashed, bringing more shadows to the house. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep with this racket going on. Who knew what lurked in the shadows of Number Twelve? - Well, other than Kreacher.

A creaking in the hallway made her jump. As she looked over toward the door, it opened and Sirius entered, laughing slightly at the expression on her face. "Scared you," he whispered, grinning as he shut the door quietly. She rolled her eyes and scooted over under the covers, giving him room to sit on the bed with her. "Just be glad you don't live here, then you'd be really scared," he said, climbing under the covers, not caring if he was infringing on her personal space. He had been doing it for years. Past bedtime was usually the only time they had alone together because his younger brother Regulus was usually tagging along.

"Oh, shut up. I couldn't sleep, is all," she replied, laying on her back and staring at the ceiling. "It just doesn't help that you're house is creepy."

He laughed quietly, much more reserved than his usual laugh, ruffling his hair that had been already mussed by lying on his pillow. The two lay there quietly, listening to the rumbles of thunder and watching the flashes of light out the window. Both were older, perhaps wiser, and definitely taller than they were when they first met. She glanced over at him, blue eyes looking at the outline of his form in the dark.

"So, why did you come down here?" She asked quietly, knowing if his parents were still awake downstairs or passing in the hall they would be able to hear. His mother had ears like a hawk.

"Could hear Reggie snoring in the next room and figured you were scared out of your wits and needed protecting," he answered. She could hear his smile in the dark.

"How noble of you," she answered sarcastically. "But really-"

He sighed. She could tell he was hiding something, or keeping something from her and that would not do at all. They were friends and she didn't want him to start keeping things from her now.

"Do you think I'm like my family?" He asked curiously. "Like my parents?"

She glanced over at him, brow furrowing. She thought about the answer and it came easily to her lips. "Not always. I don't think. Why?"

"I don't know, I was just thinking. I mean, I was thinking of school and the sorting- but I'm probably going to be in Slytherin anyway so I don't know why I'm even thinking about it."

"Me too. But we'll be there together," she said, her mind drifting off. They lapsed into silence. The storm was beginning to drift off and rain had begun pattering on the windowpane. Her eyes were becoming heavy- maybe she was going to be able to sleep that night.

"We'll still be friends at Hogwarts, right?" Lucy asked tiredly, almost falling asleep. "You won't go making a bunch of new friends and forget about me?"

"Course not," he yawned out, his voice slightly muffled by a pillow he was resting on.

Sirius' ideas were not unfounded. He had been the first in the line of Blacks to be sorted into Gryffindor since Hogwarts had opened- to him, proving that he was different than his parents. Coincidentally enough, Lucy was sorted into Gryffindor as well. Both families were not happy with this sudden turn of events.


	3. Before the Dawn

_Before the Dawn_

The last straw had finally been pulled. He had enough. He had tolerated them for the better part of sixteen years and he had finally reached his breaking point. Sirius Black was officially done with his family and they were done with him. In fact, he could imagine his mother burning a hole into the family tapestry where his face had been this very moment, that is, if she went into his room and found the note he had left for them: '_Thanks for showing me what kind of person I don't want to be. I'm leaving. For good. Hope you all rot in hell. –Sirius' _Luckily, he had not bothered to unpack his trunk since he had only been home from school a few days and it was tethered haphazardly to the back of his broom. Sirius prayed that it wouldn't fall, for it was his turn to house the Marauders' Map over the week break- the cherished document a link to his friends during his months at Number Twelve.

Before he left in the dead of night, he had tried to contact James using the mirrors. It was a no go on that route. James was probably snoozing comfortably in his bed at the Potters'. He sighed, feeling the wind make harsh contact on his skin. He would wait until morning before he would go there. It wouldn't be fair to go to their house in the middle of the night and ask them to give him a place to stay- infringing completely on the hospitality the Potters always offered him. Besides, it was a pretty long ride there from London and it was far too chilly this time of night to do so. He was exhausted and feared he would fall asleep on the broom any moment. Sirius lowered, looking for a sign of where he was. It was mainly the edge of the suburbs, heading for the country. Recognizing a large lake in the distance, he blinked for a second remembering that Lucy lived in the area. Perhaps he could go there?

Over the years, the two had drifted apart. They spoke civilly to each other and occasionally shared a laugh or two (especially at James since he was enamored with her friend, Lily), but they were no where near as close as they had been when they were kids. He bit his lip, heading in the direction where he knew her house was- the old Victorian style manor near the woods. Miraculously, he remembered which window was her room. Sirius did not really want to risk waking her father. He would probably just contact the Blacks and force Sirius to go home. Quietly, he touched down on the porch roof underneath her window and rapped on the windowpane gently. He waited and glanced around, even though he knew no person - muggle or magical - would be traveling near the Smith Manor. Sirius looked back in the window and saw the figure that approached the window jump. She had her wand out and lowered it upon registering who was knocking on her window at this hour.

"Scared you," he said, a grin on his face, when she unlatched the large window. His eyes traveled from hers and looked down at her nightclothes- a little less than he was used to seeing her wearing. If he guessed correctly, the tank top and shorts she was wearing would earn her a week's worth of detention if she was caught walking around the common room in those.

"Sorry, I don't often get people knocking on my window at two-thirty in the morning," she hissed at him, brushing her hair out of her face and lowering the wand that she had raised in preparation of an attacker.

Sirius climbed in through the window, bringing his broom and trunk in with him. "Really? I bet if more guys knew that was what you wore to bed you would get a lot-"

"What are you doing here?" she asked, looking at the trunk. He could tell she was slowly waking up. "Sirius, did you- you ran away...What happened?"

He shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets, looking around her room. It had changed drastically. Stuffed animals and battered dolls were gone. Posters of Quidditch and rock bands cluttered one of her walls and it was no longer an obnoxious pink color- a pale yellow. It was relatively messy, clothes on the floor as well as chocolate frog wrappers and broken quills. "I just...I couldn't stay there anymore. I don't fit in there; I never did."

"Plus, it's creepy," she added with a small smile, looking at him. He cracked a bit of a smile. "But, what are you doing here? If Caldon catches you, he'll tell your parents..." Somewhere along the way, she had stopped referring to her father as 'dad'. He was just the guy she lived with now.

"I know. I just need somewhere to stay for the night. I'm going to head to the Potters in the morning to spend the rest of the Easter holiday; I just can't stay awake to fly there. Please, Lucy?" He adopted a sad expression on his face, using the same look on her that he usually used on the girls he dated at Hogwarts when he wanted to charm his way out of something.

"Stop with the face, you look stupid," she said quietly shaking her head and moving past him to close the window. Then, she crossed the room and climbed back into her bed, leaving him enough room to climb in too. "You can stay here, I guess. But just for the night. You know this will be one of the first places they'll look."

"In your bed?" He laughed quietly, taking off his cloak and chucking off his shoes. Sirius nearly tripped over a small pile of clothes as he walked over to her bed. He lay down on the bed next to her, shifting to get comfortable. Somehow it was not as he remembered it. It was different but he could not exactly pinpoint the reason why. Maybe it was because they were almost fully grown and took up much more room than they had when they were younger- before puberty had set in. .

"Not exactly," she replied, rolling her eyes and shifting on the bed so that she was more comfortable. "But here. They probably figure we're both pureblood traitors. Caldon certainly blames you for 'leading me astray' and 'messing with my mind.'"

"He does?" He snorted lightly. Sirius yawned, laying on his back and looking at the ceiling. He felt his eyelids begin to become heavy. "Does he even know that your best friend is a muggleborn?"

"No," Lucy said seriously. "And it's going to stay that way." She paused and Sirius looked at the back of her head since she had turned away from him. "He's a death eater, Sirius. I saw the mark." He had a feeling this was the first time that she had voiced this to anyone. After all this time, she probably trusted him with this information because he had come from the same sort of background.

"You sure it was the mark?" He asked, seeing her hand move towards her face. "I mean-"

"No. I know what I saw."

They lay in silence, Sirius knowing that sleep was drawing nearer.

"Don't tell anyone, promise?"

"I promise, Luce, I promise."

The next morning Sirius woke up next to Lucy, an arm thrown carelessly over her waist. He put his shoes on quietly, making much less noise than the night before. It was early morning; the sun was barely over the horizon line. He found a spare bit of parchment and a quill, scribbling a quick note before leaving through the window for the Potters.

_L- _

Left early, didn't want to wake you. Thanks. You're a lifesaver. I'll see you in a week.

-S

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So, are people liking it so far? Do you hate it? Should I pack my bags for Antarctica to never be heard from again? Anything particular you'd like to see happen? I've got a few more pieces written, but I'm always up for a couple of ideas.

I probably won't be updating again until I hear...something. I mean, what's the point of continuing if no one is reading, right?

You know what to do- review! 


	4. Rest In Peace

_Rest In Peace_

The day had been long. The Order had suffered many more losses in a matter of just a couple of hours. That morning, he had been summoned from his slumber by a pheonix patronus, alerting to a possible location for a missing wizard. Sirius had left with barely a second thought, abandoning his cereal and the Daily Prophet on the small kitchen table in his apartment. It had seemed that the Death Eaters had received the same information along the grapevine and showed up moments after Sirius, one of the Prewetts, and a couple others from the Order showed up. A scuffle broke out amongst them and there were a few fatalities. Sirius and Fabian Prewett got out fine, apparating to one of the Order's safe houses when the Death Eater numbers began to vastly outnumber theirs. The others- well, he was not sure about it at all. He had sent a message to Dumbledore and waited for the older wizard to show up before sharing their findings. It was another step back for the Order and they were already pretty far behind. By the time he returned to his flat in London, it was over half a day later, his robes had become torn, and the milk in his cereal bowl had curdled.

He crossed his apartment, shedding his robes and hopping into a welcoming, warm shower. The hot water seemed to calm him; soaking his black hair and making the ends curl in front of his eyes. He had been meaning to get a hair cut for a while, but there were not many people he trusted these days to come near him with a wand and then doing a severing charm near him. No, he would just wait until he could get Lily or someone to do it when they had a free moment. After a few minutes, he turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist.

As he was about to head into his room to dry off and put some clothes on, he heard a banging on his door. His brow furrowed, looking at the door through the sopping wet locks that fell in front of his eyes and ignoring how cold he was becoming from the cool air hitting the water droplets on his skin. Sirius reached for his wand that was resting on the small table in his kitchen as the pounding continued on his door. _'Great. A death eater attack when I'm soaking wet and only wearing a towel. Amazing timing_,' he thought wryly. That would be just his luck. But then again, few people were able to get past the barriers he set up around his flat. He tread carefully on the hardwood floor, careful not to slip because his feet were still wet. The incessant knocking ceased and Sirius braced himself for whatever was coming.

The sound of a key entering a lock echoed through the small apartment and Sirius relaxed, but only slightly. The door opened with a creaking noise, outside of it silence. A dark head of hair done up in an intricate array of curls peeked through the door followed by a wand and a body wearing a deep purple- ball gown?

"Sirius?" The voice asked quietly, stepping into the room, heeled shoes concealed by the skirt of the dress making noise as they connected with the floors. He squinted through his hair, recognizing the figure.

"Luce?" He questioned, confused as to her appearance at his flat this time of night. With minimal hesitation, she launched herself onto him, wrapping her arms around him in a clinging hug. Awkwardly, he put his arms around her and praying that his towel didn't fall off. He felt his chest become warmer and did not realize it was from Lucy crying until her shoulders had begun to shake a little. This had confused him even more. What on earth was going on? She wasn't one to go sobbing all over people at all. He could barely remember her crying ever like this and it unnerved him. "Lucy? What happened? Are you okay?"

Sirius heard her sniffle and nod against his chest. This sudden burst of emotion from Lucy was uncommon. Sure, he had seen her become fuming mad and even deliriously giddy, but reduced to the point of sobbing? What had gotten into her? "Luce?" he repeated, trying to look down at her, but he could only see the top of her head. The girl backed away, wiping underneath her eyes which had dark rings under them which Sirius assumed had gotten there from lack of sleep and the mascara that must have run since she was crying.

"I'm sorry, I just-," she sighed, her voice somewhat shaky. He could tell she was trying to calm herself down. "I guess I just was overreacting-..." Sirius looked at her quizzically. He felt like he must be completely oblivious to everything that night, since he was not comprehending anything. "I heard Moody tell Kingsley that there were casualties this morning and I knew you went and I-...next thing I know I'm outside your door, banging like a crazy person. Merlin, what's wrong with me..." She gave a short laugh, eyes still glistening more than usual and her face red with emotion.

"I was so scared," she admitted, looking him in the eye. Sirius didn't say anything, but just hugged her again. He understood. They had all been feeling like that, especially these days. It was getting worse. Their lives were already in danger but being that they were in the Order meant there was more of a chance of not making it home for dinner.

They stood like that, he in his towel and she in her ball gown, for a few minutes before he heard her shift slightly. "Good lord, Sirius," she muttered, backing away from him. "You came out in a towel? What if I had been a death eater? You were going to fight them while simultaneously trying to cover your….self?" Sirius smiled slyly, noting that she was looking at his chest and noting that she was returning to her usual self.

"Well, I figured there wasn't a better diversion I could come up with," he said jokingly, running a hand through his hair that was beginning to dry. Lucy rolled her eyes, wiping them again with her hand. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, Luce, I was in the shower when you came to bang in my door. Besides, what the hell are you wearing? Do you usually wear a ball gown to the Auror Office? Or is it just on Friday nights? Or are you moonlighting as a fairy godmother these days?"

Her cheeks colored a bit, looking down at the fancy purple dress. The front of it had gotten wet from where she had pressed against his chest in the hug. Sirius had to admit, he found it oddly attractive. "I was on assignment. There was some state dinner that the Muggle Minister was attending and Dumbledore sent me and Kinsgley there as protection. Of course, the auror office felt it was their idea. Moody was there too, that's where I heard-"

Sirius blinked, looking at her. "Are you telling me that you ran out in the middle of a government supper because you thought I had kicked the bucket?" She shrugged and Sirius let out a bark-like laugh.

"Well, next time I won't. I'll continue through pudding while your corpse lies in a ditch somewhere," she replied, the laugh leaving her face. "It's not funny, Sirius. Things are getting worse. Everyone's running themselves ragged, trying to keep up with things while trying not to die. One day I might come here to find you dead or vice versa..."

"I know," he said awkwardly, knowing the reality that lay outside the walls of his apartment. Things were becoming more dangerous for everyone by the second. He had nearly died earlier- a killing curse missing him by mere inches. He looked at her, seeing the exhaustion that lay under her perturbed demeanor at the moment. "You look like you haven't slept in a year," he remarked, changing the subject. He knew her job took a lot out of her in addition to the missions for the Order. "Stay here tonight. You might splinch yourself if you apparate..."

She had opened her mouth to decline, but then what he last said rung in her head. It was true. She was having trouble focusing at the moment. That was probably why she had been so riled that she apparated over here the second she heard the brief sentence of Moody's at the dinner where he had been masquerading as part of the hired help for the evening. When that was agreed upon, she went into the bathroom to take a shower and he went into his bedroom to finally get some clothes on. He settled into his bed and began to drift off. She entered a few moments later, wearing one of his large t-shirts and depositing the purple dress onto a spare chair he stored in his bedroom.

He felt her climb into the bed next to him, pulling the covers over herself. Sirius turned, putting his arm around her waist as he begun to doze off.

"I still can't believe you were going to go to the door in your towel," she said quietly, but he could hear the amusement in her voice.

"Go to sleep, you freaking Sugarplum fairy."

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Hate it? Love it? Don't really care? Got suggestions? _Review._


	5. A Hard Day's Night

_A Hard Day's Night_

At half past five, she made her way up the stone walkway in Godric's Hollow. The night was cool, a refreshing fall breeze causing the trees to sway gracefully and the leaves to rustle in response. Her cloak billowed out slightly behind her as she ascended the steps to the small house. Without bothering to knock, she turned the door handle and entered the welcoming home. Laughing could be heard echoing from the hallway leading to the kitchen. The woman smirked, removing her cloak from around her shoulders and resting it on the banister of the staircase.

"Hello, hello!" She called, heading towards the sound of the noise. A baby gurgling happily greeted her as she walked into the kitchen.

"Aw, Lily! Have you no faith in me? He is _my_ godson," Sirius remarked, looking at Lucy who had just entered the kitchen a scooped a bouncing Harry out of Lily's arms. "I can handle taking care of him for one night on my own. You didn't have to call in reinforcements."

"And Lucy _would_ have been his godmother if she hadn't been unconscious for two weeks," Lily retorted, allowing James to help her put on her coat as they got ready to leave for the evening. The two were going to spend their first night out together since Harry was born in July that was not Order-related. James had gotten Sirius to baby-sit for them. Lily had called Lucy immediately after receiving that news, begging her to swear on her life that she would be there the entire time they were gone. Lily did trust Sirius with her life, but she knew that he had little experience with babies. Lucy had little experience as well, but Lily knew that Lucy would not take the baby out flying on that jinxed motorcycle. Teasingly, Lily added: "And I can call in whoever I damn well please to make sure you don't end up wrecking the house!"

Sirius looked over at Lucy. The faint pink scar over her brow was a reminder of the experience that had lead to her missing out on the godparent legalities. During an Order mission, the building had collapsed suddenly, a beam knocking her in the head and then pinning her under the rubble. Sirius would never admit that was possibly one of the scariest moments of his life. The two weeks that had followed had been no picnic for him either. He had thought his best friend (after James, of course) had died, seeing her so pale and unresponsive.

"Who knew she had such a hard head," he joked, pushing back the images from that night. "Think that's going to come in handy when watching a four month old?"

Lucy stuck her tongue out at him, cradling Harry against her chest. "Listen to the way he talks to me," she said, speaking to Harry, cooing to him slightly. "When you're old enough, I'm going to teach you how to jinx him and he'll be sorry. Won't he? You'll protect Aunt Lucy from mean old Sirius..."

"Quit trying to corrupt my son, Luce," James laughed, ruffling his hair as he pulled on his own coat and made sure he had some money in his pockets. "If anything, Sirius will be the one teaching him to get in trouble."

Lily rolled her eyes. "There's food in the fridge. Harry already ate and should be falling asleep anytime soon. He'll be fine until we get back, but if you need anything..."

"You know how to contact us," James finished, heading towards the back door with Lily.

A few moments later, they were gone, leaving Sirius and Lucy with the baby. The two glanced at each other, shrugging slightly. Sirius headed for the fridge, taking out a butter beer and heading for the living room where the muggle television set waited. Lucy rolled her eyes, shifting Harry as she held him in her arms. How typical of him to leave her to deal with the infant on her own. Hadn't he been the one complaining about how he could baby-sit on his own? She followed him into the room, sitting on the couch and playing with Harry. Maybe if she kept him entertained, he'd tucker himself out and be ready to be put down for the night.

An hour later, she had made no progress. Harry was still awake and alert, looking between her and Sirius. At some point, Sirius had joined in with trying to get Harry to sleep, ignoring the movie marathon on television. The little one did not want to fall asleep, though he was starting to look a little worn out. It was as if he were waiting for his parents to return.

Lucy sighed, looking down at Harry. "I'm out. I've tried everything I could think of."

"Let me try for a while. Go get something to eat," Sirius offered, taking Harry from her and standing from the couch. Glad for a slight break since the way she was sitting was starting to take a toll on her lower back, as she was still not completely recovered from the incident, Lucy departed for the kitchen, deciding to make something for the two of them for dinner. Even if Sirius had already eaten dinner, his bottomless stomach could make room for more food. She glanced in the refrigerator, noting the pint of ice cream in the freezer with her name written on it. That would be saved for later.

Fifteen minutes later, armed with a couple of sandwiches and a bag of chips, she re-entered the living room to see Sirius Black lounging on the couch, Harry asleep on his chest. Lucy smiled slightly, placing the plates and bag of chips down onto the coffee table.

"I'll be damned…Sirius Black- baby whisperer," she smiled, sitting down on the couch next to him.

"Told you I didn't need your help," he winked, standing up carefully from the couch, trying not to jostle Harry awake. Sirius exited the room, climbing the stairs. A few moments later he came back down, baby-free but carrying a muggle baby monitor.

"Look at you, all domestic….I wish I had a camera," Lucy laughed, before taking a bite of her sandwich that she had started on when he went upstairs. Sirius rolled his eyes, sitting back down in the space on the couch he had vacated earlier, picking up the sandwich she had left for him.

"How'd you get him to sleep? I tried just about everything…"

"Singing," Sirius said simply, eyes glued to the television set as he opened the bag of chips.

"Singing? _You_ sung?" Lucy questioned, staring over at him. In all her years knowing Sirius, she could only recall a handful of times she had heard Sirius sing and usually those times were off-key inebriated renditions of old drinking songs.

He shrugged. "Got him to sleep, didn't it?"

"What'd you sing?"

"_Joy to the World_…muggle group…Three Dog- something."

"Isn't that song about drinking with a frog?"

His response came after taking a bite out of his sandwich. "Well, I sure as hell wasn't going to sing to him about rainbows and unicorns like you would."

The two finished eating and desert had been had. The dishes had been washed and the movie marathon was coming to a close, with only one movie left to go. Both lay on the couch, thoroughly exhausted. Though they had done nothing strenuous that night, the peacefulness and the stress of the last few weeks suddenly caught up to them and neither felt like moving from the couch. Unfortunately, Lucy was having difficulty getting comfortable. The slight discomfort in her lower back had amplified, a dull throbbing pain now residing at the base of her spine. She winced and sucked in her breath when she turned the wrong way, a shooting pain running up her back.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked, looking over at her in concern.

"My back," she said, sitting up straight, massaging her lower back as best that she could with her hands. "It's acting up. Rocking Harry for an hour didn't help."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier, Luce?"

"It's no big deal, Sirius. They told me that it'd take a few months to get back to normal even with the potions I'm taking."

"Doesn't mean you have to sit there in pain. Come 'ere, stubborn ass…"

She shifted on the couch, moving to sit next to him, careful not to move her back in any manner which would cause more pain. Sirius began to rub small circles on her back, trying to relieve some of the tension that had formed there.

When Lily and James returned a little while later, they were surprised at how quiet the house was.

"You don't think she killed him, do you?" James asked jokingly, stashing a couple bags of shopping into the closet. They had taken the opportunity to do their Christmas shopping while they were out.

"She'd never hurt Harry," Lily remarked, removing her coat to head upstairs to check on the baby.

"I was talking about Sirius," he muttered after her, shaking his head. The protective mother had really come out in her that night. More than once, James had to keep her from sending a patronus to the house to check on Harry. Their first night out alone that had nothing to do with Order business and all she could think about was the boy back home. He couldn't blame her though. Ever since they got that message from Dumbledore about meeting with them about Harry, they'd both been a little on edge. What on earth did he have to tell them?

James turned, walking into the living room, pausing at the doorway at the sight he saw. There were Sirius and Lucy, curled up together on the couch with Lucy's head resting on Sirius' chest, both sleeping deeply. For all the bickering they did while they were awake, the two looked peaceful in sleep. He shut off the lights before leaving the room.

Might as well let them sleep. Who knew what would greet them in the morning.

* * *

_A/N:_ _This one is a bit different from the others. I wanted to explore a bit of their relationship with this one. Plus, it gave Lily, James, and Baby Harry a cameo. There's also an outtake from this particular one-shot. I'll probably post it later. It didn't quite fit into this story, but it was entertaining none-the-less. _

_A/N 2: In case someone does not understand the reference that was made, Joy to the World by Three Dog Night opens with these lyrics:_

_"Jeremiah was a bullfrog- was a good friend of mine / __I never understood a single word he said / __But I'd help him drink his wine"_


End file.
